Installment #44 Epilogue

Installment #44

 Epilogue

Jack and Leroy watched as the body was brought out and placed in the back of the ambulance. As the tow truck secured the Jeep, Jack remembered the black Jeep that turned into an obscure road 30 minutes up the road. When he mentioned it to Leroy, he recalled the same black Jeep following them down to the farm. Perhaps Marshall’s keys would be found there. And Ambrose. And Jeffery. And some where in Denver, Jennifer would be thanking her lucky stars that she was born a lesbian and had never even looked at her boss “that way”.

A man in Brattleboro, Vermont was boarding a plane for Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado to assist in looking for his lost son.  Or so he thought. When he landed he would find that the lost son had been found and the other son that was found was now completely lost, forever. Knowing that the men would be down from the mountain soon, Meg got the Bunn ready and poured the water through.


Her mind flashed to that morning when she had made coffee. She remembered reaching for the panel that was in the doggie door.  She jumped when the door bell rang.

Kevin gave her a hug.  “It will take time, mom.” She hurried to the door and was surprised to find Fred there, and it looked like he had trimmed his beard! He held his hat in his hands and smiled timidly at Meg. A simple man, she thought. A very simple man. Like her Tommy. Meg smiled and held the door open wider as he entered and she looked into his very dark eyes; Kevin’s eyes. She realized that he was also freshly showered and carried the scent of the great out doors. The fresh clean scent of…… Irish Spring.

The end....for now.

Instalmment # 41 Marshall

Installment #41
Marshall

Marshall bounced out of the dirt road and almost broadsided the sheriff car. He immediately applied brakes and then relaxed as he noticed it was not this county sheriff. Might have been a stroke of luck there. But he had immediately seen that he was going to follow this guy for a while and as much as every fiber of his being longed to hold his darling Meg, he was not going to wind up with the sheriff going through his vehicle and delaying his return.
Ah, she was sleeping so peacefully when he left her. And he knew she would wait for him. All of his life he had yearned for a woman just like her. One who would understand him. One who would listen when he told her what his mother made him do. The secrets he had kept for all these years. The evil that lived in the home where he grew up. The father and brother that never knew that while they were at work or school or at the basketball game that he was home sucking on Mother’s tits and screwing her brains out.
She knew it was wrong and she did not care. “Marshall, come here. Dad and Jeffery went to  the movies and will not be home for hours.  Come in here and talk to me. Feel my skin! Feel how soft it is. Do you know what keeps a woman’s skin soft? This.” She reached down and laid her hand inside his crotch. “ This keeps me alive and vibrant. Your father does not understand. Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.”
 As she spoke her hands worked his zipper and soon his jeans were around his knees. Her open mouth encircled him and her black eyes watched his face. Marshall jerked the wheel just in time to avoid a very bumpy ride down the side of a very steep cliff.
 Damn! Hope those guys up ahead were not watching the rear view mirror. “Ah, gee officer, I was just remembering a blow job from my mother and got a little inattentive there.” That ought to hold them. Marshall always tried to not let the hard on happen, but it did.  It always did. After she was satisfied he would take a long hot bath and then a hot shower, but still, the image of Mother with her lips slightly parted and her eyes watching his face as he mounted her and found the shooting stars that only she could bring was before him.
He liked it when she wanted “doggie style” because then he did not have to look at her. But still when he bucked and drove into her it was her face that was before him. It was mother he had seen with all the whores in Denver and Viet Nam and all points between and beyond. But he had found peace in the eyes of Meg Parker. At least he thought he had. Would. Could. Meg would be his salvation. Their union would be pure. Meg had a good heart. He had watched her with the dogs.  He had watched her with a wounded bird. With her son. Alone in her bedroom when nobody was around. She read her Bible.
She listened to Classic Country. He had always preferred Heavy Metal and stuff like that, but he found himself turning to Garth Brooks more often. Willie Nelson.  Kenny Rogers. Country guys knew how to rip your heart out. Not the women though. Dolly was a perfect example of what he did not want in a woman. Red lips and bleached hair. Meg did not dye her hair. She only wore a little lipstick and that only some of the time. As Marshall drove he pictured her lying on her cot waiting for him.

When he unlocked the door she would rush to him. Well if the Adavan had worn off, she would.
Maybe she would fall at his feet and cling to his knees. That would be a nice touch. Subservient. He would slowly take her hands and raise her to her feet.
“Oh, darling! Do not worship me so. We are equal, you and I.  I need you as much as you need me. Together! Together! Here, lie on the bed. Let me run you a nice bath. I am so sorry I had to leave you here all alone. Let me make it up to you.  Oh, I have been bad. Very bad. Do you want to spank me? You can. Oh, yes you can. Here. Let me lower my slacks and you can spank me. Oh, let me bend over. Spank me! Spank your baby boy!…..What the hell!”

 Marshall applied the brakes just in time to avoid a dung green helicopter landing on the road in front of him. The was no missing the big Colorado Law Enforcement stenciled across the side. He noted that he was right in front of Meg’s farm. Damn! Seven minutes and he would have been home. But here he sat. He watched as the door opened and a big burly guy that smelled of cop all over the place stepped down to the ground and then turned and held up his hand for Kevin Jackson, Meg’s son. The little queer guy from California. They both ducked and ran across the drive way to the yard. As they cleared the yard, the pilot gunned the rotor, dipped slightly and then the runners began to raise.

Marshall waited a bit as he surveyed the gathering in the yard. Oh, they had made the connection between Meg and Jeffery and the hunt was on. Well, let them look. He was very good at hide and seek. Jeffery was very well hidden as was the cop. Meg was a different story, but soon they would be in the Jeep headed south. A stop in Colorado Springs at the First National Bank to empty his safe deposit box and then Mexico. He had already bought property in Julisco, Mexico, an American retirement community on a lake that was straight out of a picture book. Living was easy down there. Cheap. Meg might resist at first, but when she accepted how much he loved her and how much she needed him, she would come around. As the dust settled he dropped the lever to Drive, released the brake and moved slowly forward. He briefly made eye contact with the guy who seemed to be in charge, so he lifted his hand in a neighborly wave and headed up the hill and home.

Installment #40 Jack

Installment #40

Jack

Jack hurried to the first sheriff car that pulled on the scene. Leroy! Computer expert and hopefully the man with the answer. Formalities.  “Jack, I want you to meet Ferrel Buford. Ferrel has been a very big help. Has all this fancy equipment and lots of info coming over the wire on the way up here.”

Jack shook the proffered hand as he turned toward the house.
“Pleased to meet you, Jack. I think I have what you need.” He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. “Well, at least it is sure going to help. But first, I got to pee. Some jerk driving like a maniac about ran us off the road. Damn hairpin curves scare the shit out of me anyway.”
Jack indicated the door Ferrel needed and poured coffee in a cup and offered it to Leroy. Ferrel returned very quickly and took the coffee Jack offered him.
“Now. The hacker is in Denver, but he is also around here close. Unless there are two of them, which I can not see, but there are two computers. The first one is in an office complex in downtown Denver. I have my company working on narrowing that one down.  Should have an answer on that in about an hour.  So the other one is up here on this mountain, but it is wireless and operates on a “hot wire” off of a satellite. Those are really hard to pinpoint.”
Leroy chimed in, “Is there any way we can get information on the people that live up here on this mountain? You know, where and if they work.  If they go into Denver regular. Things like that?”
But Leroy and Jack both knew the mountain backwoods code. Live here, do what you want, bother nobody and you become invisible.
“Oh, I got hold of the kid, Kevin. He is flying into Stapleton about right now.  George will pick him up and the helicopter will shuttle him down here. Don’t know what good he will be since he lives clear out in California, but he might know something, and it is his mother. Maybe she confided something to him that will give us a clue.”

Jack turned back to Ferrel. “Show me what you have. I sure hope we can get something out of it.” Ferrel opened the note book.
 “Red stars are on the Denver computer. Black are on the mountain computer. He started pinging in on her about 5 months ago. Not often. Just occasionally. Goes in, checks her emails, reads them, marks them new, and leaves. Cannot see where he does anything else at all, but he sure is keeping tabs on the redranger.” Jack stared at the dates.

“Do you by any chance have copies of the emails that were sent on these days? Especially….” He stopped as Ferrel stood and went to the car, returning with a folder which he handed to Jack. Quickly he found the one he wanted.

They were to meet at the Sheraton. That was the last communication between the redranger and Meg Parker. Redranger, aka Jeffery Eldon Purcell had arrived in Denver. They knew that much. They knew he had not kept his rendevous with Meg at the Sheraton. He looked back at the dates on the sheet.

There had been no action since the plans were made. Was it possible that the hacker did not need to check on Meg because he knew exactly where both she and Jeffery were now?

“This guy has Meg and Jeffery Purcell!” It was a wild guess and it was also a statement of fact. Jack Farley felt a cold hard knot forming in the pit of his stomach. He hated it when he was right and he knew he was right. And he knew the son was on his way. And he knew he needed answers. No, he needed Meg Parker to be standing in the yard waving when the helicopter landed. That was what he needed, but more than that, he needed to know how to make that happen. He needed computer locations and names on leases and, oh God, this was not looking good at all.

He turned to Ferrel Buford with a pleading look in his eyes. “We need a miracle. We are trying to chase waves in the air that we cannot see. I am afraid if we are not quick enough this woman and the man she was meeting will both die. You are the man that can make it happen.”

As he turned away, he knew that miracles do not always happen just because you want them to. And in the far distance he heard the beating rotor of a helicopter headed towards the little farm on the side of the mountain.

Installment #38 Marshall

Installment #38

Marshall

Marshall opened the back of the Jeep and began throwing wood off to the side. When Ambrose lay before him he took a deep breathe and  hoisted the big man unceremoniously to the ground. Well this was going to be a dragging act because he sure could not lift him. Oh, yeah, there was the snow shovel!  Glad he had bought that. It would come in handy for this task. He wedged the handle under a nearby boulder and pulled Ambrose into position. There we go!  Brains over brawn any day of the week. He grasped the handle, maneuvered into position and was amazed at how easily the load went up the hill, through the opening and as he neared the hole ahead he turned the handle and pushed the body near the hole. Now, how to unload it without getting too close. Marshall studied the site for a moment and then laughed. All he had to do was get the body a little further and then raise the handle and off into the eternal never land of sleep the cop would go!

Very carefully he moved the body forward until he felt it start to pull the shovel down.  He slowly raised the handle just an inch or two and Holy Shit! In the hole it all went, shovel, body and damn near Marshall. In just the briefest moment of clarity, he released the shovel handle right before it jerked him over the side. There was the first thud as the body hit the wall. He waited. He waited. The second thud never came. He crept closer to the edge and shined his light over the side. Holy Mother! The man was straddling the shovel which was wedged into a crevice. He stared closer. That rat bastard was laughing at him!  He played his light around the walls. There was no way down and no way up.  He was just going to have to stay there and laugh, because there was nothing Marshall could do at this point. The corpse had stolen his shovel and was now hanging above the abyss laughing at him. This was not good. This was not good at all. Marshall contemplated his options. Let’s see, he could climb to the bottom and what? Stay there the rest of his life? Or he could take the high road and do nothing. That seemed the way to go. If some idiot happened to stumble on his little cavern here, the bodies on the bottom might go unnoticed, but Brome Hilda there on the shovel handle was practically begging to be seen. Oh, well, that was a problem he could do nothing about.

Oh, and that shovel handle. He had not left a fingerprint on anyone in the bottom there, but that shovel handle would be a treasure trove of DNA and the little dealy with the ISBN number on it could be traced to the hardware store and right to Mr. Marshall Purcell. A trickle of sweat began to run down his neck and on down his back. Felt like a damn Centipede! He stood erect and hurried from the cavern into the bright Colorado sunlight.

As he hurried down the hill and the Jeep came in sight he reached in his pocket for the keys. Other pocket. He stopped and patted himself from top to bottom. Every pocket he had. Crap! Not again! He had just had this talk with himself about not locking his keys in the car and now, when he was in a hurry, he had done the very thing he had warned himself about. He stopped and went through the pockets again. They had to be in the Jeep. He had to have them to get here so they were not on him, they had to be in there. Just in case he got lucky he walked to the back of the Jeep and stared at the empty lock. Not there. Nope, definitely not there. He walked to the passenger door.  Locked. He looked in the ignition. Not there. Oh, no!  Had that cop somehow managed to pick his pocket? Dead people did very strange things. He knew that for a fact.

There was that whore he had picked up on Larimer Street that one afternoon. He had checked them all out and she appeared to be the cleanest one of the bunch. She was wearing a skirt so short he thought he could see her panties. Or not panties. She had huge breasts. They were so big he thought they must be false.  He pulled the Jeep to the curb and looked directly at her. She came and leaned in the window and he reached over and touched her cleavage.
“How much?”
 “For what, sweetie? An hour? A blow job? All day? You got to tell Flo what you want.”
“All afternoon. A walk in the forest. I want to screw on the forest floor on a pile of pine needles."
 “You ain’t kinky are you? You won’t hurt me will you? Johnny doesn’t like me to leave this area, so it gonna cost you extra. Johnny gets mean sometimes.”
“Get in Flo. I will make it worth your time. “

He opened the door and settled back behind the wheel. Flo climbed in and nestled back into the leather seat. “Nice,” she said and smiled showing a mouth full of yellow teeth. Marshall slipped the Jeep into drive and pulled out into the traffic headed west toward the mountains. It did not take long to reach the area he sought. Flo was enjoying the act of being a lady and waited for him to open her door.  He took her hand and led her to a nearby blanket of pine needles. She giggled as he spread a sheet over the top of the aromatic bed provided by Mother Nature. He removed her sunglasses and stared into her eyes. Yes, he had chosen well. He settled himself on the newly made bed.  He removed his slacks and indicated what he wanted.
“And look at me while you are doing it. Look me right in the eyes.”
She began her work and she was very good at it. Her eyes never left his.
“Oh, Mother!” he murmured as she worked on him and as he felt his release he screamed the words, “MOTHER, MOTHER, MOTHER!” And then it was over and he was spent.
He felt the tears spilling down his cheeks. And then she laughed. Damned whore! Who was she to laugh at him? He grabbed her tit and bit down with all the force he had as she screamed and tried to pull away. He spit the nipple across the forest floor and grabbed her head and snapped her neck. Bitch! She had made something so beautiful, dirty. Marshall wrenched his mind away from that afternoon and focused, slowly on the problem at hand.

He was locked out of his jeep in a very bad place. His keys were probably down at the bottom of the cavern along with lots of bones, the whore included. Well, he sure as hell could not call Triple AAA. Well, he could, but that move would not be wise at all. Then he smiled. Then he chuckled. He was not screwed yet. He had a key hidden in the Jeep under the seat. He had done that because this was not his first rodeo. He would simply pick up a rock and break the window, reach in and open the door and get the key and drive his little self home. Life was good. He quickly located a rock that was satisfactory for the purpose and slammed it into the window. Not quite as easy as he thought, but soon he was inside the Jeep and had the key in the ignition and disarmed the shrill alarm that was quickly destroying his ear drums.

He backed the Jeep around until he was positioned for the downhill descent, slowly released the clutch and moved forward, never once looking at the ring of keys laying in the dirt not 10 feet from the back of the Jeep. He was intent on getting home to the woman he loved.

Installment #37 Jack

Installment #37 Jack

Jack cursed as the phone in his hand continued to ring. “Answer Ambrose! Where in the hell are you?”  He dialed Meg again and still the busy signal. Where was she or who was she talking too? No. Women could talk but not for hours. They had tiny bladders and would be afraid someone could hear them pee. Traffic was light this morning, but he still held to pretty much the speed limit. Still 30 minutes from the Parker place and then he would know the score.

He gripped the wheel as a black Jeep came around the curve with one wheel in his lane, but before they met the Jeep turned onto an obscure little road. Kind of hard to make that turn without swinging a little wide. So he forgave the driver. When he finally pulled in the yard at Meg’s house he was almost relieved. Everything looked alright. Well, almost alright. The dogs were in the yard, so Meg must have put them out. No, there was a doggie door!  So why weren’t they inside waiting at the kitchen door to bark at this intruder?

 He jumped quickly from his car and ran to the house. The back door was open. He entered and began calling. No answers. The doggie door had a panel keeping the dogs out! He raised the panel and they ran in and began searching frantically for Meg. Upstairs, through the house, back out in the yard. Inside, outside. There was no reason for him to search. The dogs would have alerted him if anything turned up, good or bad.

He keyed his mike and waited for the signal and then spoke into the radio, “This is unit 17 and we have a problem. Ambrose is gone and the lady of the house is missing. I want all available units up here stat! And tell Leroy to move mountains. I need the name of whoever was in Meg Parker’s computer and we don’t have a minute to waste. This is no longer a stalking case, it is probably a hostage or homicide. Or a hostage and a homicide.”

He leaned to the floor and picked up a black shiny flat rock. Ambrose had dropped his worry stone.  He called it his lucky worry stone, but Jack could not stop the next thought, “Well, Ambrose, I think your luck just ran out.”

Installment #36 Fred

Installment #36

 Fred

Fred shouldered his gun and started across the road following the small deer.. He had come across it behind his barn just as the sun was trying to pull itself up out of the ground.  It was just the size he liked, not too big, but out of its fawn spots. The shot had gone just a hair to one side and not brought it down with a clean shot that he liked. It bolted and ran across the road heading west. Fred was in no hurry because the deer would not go far and his house was just up ahead.

As he started towards Storm Lake Road he heard a vehicle and habit made him conceal himself. He was surprised to see the black Jeep. Today was Sunday and usually when the man was at home he arrived on Friday. Oh, there was someone with him. That would explain him being here now.  He apparently had been partying and now they were just getting home. Fred caught a brief glimpse of the woman as the jeep skidded, slowed and righted itself. That guy must be drunk to drive like that.

 Hey! That looked a lot like Meg Parker. No way. What would she be doing with that weirdo? Nothing, that was what, absolutely nothing. He shook his head and continued following the blood droplets through the forest. The little deer was now headed just slightly down hill. Oh crap! At this trajectory it would end up right at the scar faced guy’s cabin. Well, too bad because he was not going to lose this meat. This was his and nobody was going to take it away. He had spent the last few weeks with only minimal amounts of squirrel and dove meat and this was going to be his feast. The small deer lay at the base of the tree where the telescope was stored. Oh, well.

He quickly took a length of rope from his belt and lashed the deer’s back feet together with one end. Then he took a longer length from his bag on his side and tossed one end of it over a tree branch on another tree. He did not want to leave signs here where the man could find them. Not that it mattered, but why rock the boat? He then returned and dragged the deer to the rope that dangled from the branch. He tied the rope to the trussed deer and began to raise the deer. As soon as it’s head was waist high he secured the rope, took out a very sharp hunting knife and slit the deer’s throat. He did not like to watch this part so he walked away a few yards and looked up the hill at the cabin.

What was that guy doing? He was carrying logs to the rear of the Jeep and now he was putting them in the back. Did he have a fireplace at his place in town? And he could not tell from here, but the woman seemed to be sleeping very soundly. The man slammed the door on the back of the Jeep and went around to the passenger door.  He watched as the man lifted her out and carried her inside. Drunk, no doubt, but she sure looked like Meg Parker from here. But that made no sense. When the door closed behind the man, Fred turned back to the deer. He slit it from sternum to anus and spilled the insides out on the ground for the forest critters. He took an old sheet from his bag and wrapped the deer securely. Now he could carry it back to his barn and finish butchering it. This would be very good venison. But he must do something first.

 He quickly climbed the tree and pulled the telescope into position. He zeroed in on the farm below. It was quiet. Too quiet. The dogs were in their yard looking very forlorn. Why had Meg left them outside? How long had they been there? They were always with her, unless she was not there. He looked back at the cabin behind him and saw the man hurrying to his Jeep. He watched as he jumped quickly inside and drove away. Why would a man with a woman inside leave like that? Fred did not know. What Fred did know was that the tunnel that led to the house was right over there. And he also knew if the woman inside the cabin was Meg Parker , she was in trouble. He also knew that the very thought of entering that tunnel scared the bejesus out of him.

That tunnel would be just like the root cellar where his mother had spent so many years entombed by a man he called his father. The man was gone. He could walk right across the yard and see what was going on inside. But how would he get in the house? Right back to the first solution. The tunnel led to the house and into the kitchen. He was going to have to go through the tunnel. And he was going to have to do it very soon. The man would be back, of that he was sure. With a sad glance at his beautiful deer, and another down the mountain where he saw the Jeep now passing the Parker farm, he climbed down the tree and headed for the entrance to the tunnel. His lips moved in silent prayer as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Installment 35 Him

Installment #35

Him

Marshall Purcell smiled at the woman in his arms. This
had been so easy. He had not been surprised at all to find the
man in Meg’s kitchen watching the back door. Watching? Little
hard to watch anything with your eyes closed completely and
your head lolling over on your shoulder like that. Marshall had
used his key to let himself in the front door. Who would have
thought a boogie man could come in the front door? His crepe
soled shoes made not a sound as he crept up behind him and with
one swift movement snapped his neck. Back out the front door
with the big man over his shoulder. Across the yard and open the
back of the Jeep and drop him quietly inside. Then back for his
prize. When he had Meg settled in he would drive the Jeep up to
the cavern and dispose of the body. Right now he just did not
have time and it would be light soon. He must get her home
where she would be safe!

He had waited in the sun room behind the heavy denim
drape beside the doggie door. He had sprinkled cayenne pepper
very lightly behind him to cover up any scent he might have left.
And it had worked perfectly. Out the door they had gone and
while Meg was pouring the water for the coffee he had quietly
slid the panel in place to keep the dogs outside. He did not want
to hurt the doggies. They were so cute and when Meg was gone
they would let him pet them. Marshall was sad that he had never
had a dog when he was a boy, but when he and Meg were
together, they might come back and get Elvira and Daisy. That
would be nice.

He watched her set down her coffee cup when the dogs
started scratching at the door. He smiled at her look of concern.
Such a wonderful woman to be concerned about her doggies
being locked out and how naïve to not even wonder how that
happened. As she reached to pull the panel up he quickly
encircled her shoulders with his left arm and placed the
chloroformed rag over her face. How fast it worked and
jubilation filled him as Meg sank against him. Yes! Very soon
this woman would be completely his and his alone.

She was light as a feather as he hurried to the Jeep with
his treasure. He placed her gently in the passenger seat, bracing
her in an upright position with pillows he had brought for that
purpose. Now, if someone should see them, they would just
think they were out for an early morning drive. Or, better yet,
just getting in from a night of partying! Yes, they had been
dancing all night in Denver and Meg was tired. But he would
drive and take care of her! He kissed her gently on the forehead
and closed the door quietly, not that the sound would awaken her
because the soft cloth was laying on her shoulder. He climbed in
the drivers side, checked the seat and glanced in the rearview
mirror. Ah, sweet Jesus! That asshole had his hand laying over
the back seat. Depend on a cop to screw up a bad dream.
He climbed out of the car, leaving the door open. Did
not want to lock himself out, that was for sure. That was no fun.
He had done that and he did not want to do that again. He
opened the tail gate and jerked the offending hand down and
placed it under the back seat, just in case the muscles tightened
up and the corpse started waving at people out the back window.
The sun was full over the horizon when he pulled onto Banner
Road and headed East. The sun hit him full in the eyes and for a
moment he could not see, but Storm Lake Road came up
quickly and he turned north.

He passed Fred’s barn on his right and then Fred’s house
on his left. That had to be inconvenient, but Fred did not seem to
notice since he only used the barn to butcher his poached deer
and such. Now there was a weird one, that Fred. He had dug his
tunnel for him and did a fine job, if he did have to say so himself.
Insisted on being paid in cash. Cash! Who used cash these days?
And what had he done with the money? God only knows. Guy
had nobody. Nobody ever came to his house. Or at least nobody
Marshall had ever seen. Hell, Fred had on the same clothes when
he dug the tunnel that he had on the last time he had seen him.
He had not told him his name. None of his business. As far as
Marshall Purcell knew, nobody on this mountain knew his name.
That was good. None of their business.

He reached over and traced the curve of Meg’s cheek. He
touched her eyelashes and smiled. Holy Shit! He looked up just
in time to see the ditch racing toward him and jerked the wheel to
the left. The Jeep fishtailed briefly and then steadied on the
road. Better tend to business. Ah, crap. There was a foot
sticking over the back seat now! Well that would have to wait.
He would be home in three minutes and the road dead ended at
his house and there was no one behind him. He focused on the
road and soon arrived at his cabin. He placed the cloth near
Meg’s nose briefly and then opened the door. He went to the
back and opened the hatch. He did not like to touch the man
because he was now getting stiff and repulsive. He hurried to the
wood piled on the side of the house and carried back several logs
and dropped them on the ground behind the Jeep. He folded the
detective back into a position and began piling wood on him. As
soon as Meg was settled he would go dispose of the body.

He closed the back of the Jeep and opened the passenger
door. He picked Meg up lightly and walked the few steps to the
cabin door. He inserted his key with his left hand as he
balanced her on his left knee. No, no, he did not want to drop
this precious bundle at this stage of the game. He stepped over
the threshold and kicked the door shut behind him. He crossed
swiftly to the bedroom and in seconds he had placed her on the
bed. She was still very quiet so he returned and threw the dead
bolt on the front door to the locked position. He knew he had
lots to do, but he lingered near the bed. He dropped to his
knees and laid his hand gently on Meg’s shoulder. He closed
his eyes and ran his hand down the full length of her lithe body.
He brought his hand back up her leg and caressed her knee.
Then up her thigh to her hip. He lingered there as he
envisioned the union they would have later, when his work was
done. He encircled her waist and then slowly moved up to cup
her breast. Oh, it was everything he had dreamed of for the last
two and a half years!

Damn that cop! He kissed her lightly on the cheek as he
reluctantly moved his hand from her breast to the bedside table.
He extracted the syringe and uncapped the needle. He found
the arm vein and inserted the needle and released the Adavan
into her blood stream. He extracted the needle and threw the
apparatus into the trash can.

He crossed to the root cellar and opened the door. Inside
was a tiny cot covered with blankets. He returned and picked
Meg up gently and carried her inside and placed her on the cot.
“Oh, my darling, I am so sorry, but I have to go out for a while.
You lay here and rest and when I come back we will make mad
passionate love all the rest of the day. I know you want me as
much as I want you, but soon we will be one. We will be
together forever in our own little Utopia. You and I, together,
forever!”

It was cool so he placed a blanket over her, kissed her
once more on the cheek and closed and locked the door. He
put his hand against the door to be sure it held.

He stopped suddenly realizing the job he had ahead of him. It
was such an inconvenience to have to dispose of that bastard,
but he couldn’t just haul him around the rest of his life. He
picked up the flashlight from the buffet by the front door, exited
and locked the door behind himself. As the Jeep roared to life he
quickly disengaged the clutch and pulled out of the yard and
headed back down the mountain. Past Fred’s and then past
Meg’s little farm with the dogs barking in the back yard. Thirty
minutes to the cavern, 30 minutes to drag the cop up the hill, and
then 30 minutes back home. It was an eternity, but he did not
want to get stopped and Meg would sleep for 3 ½ to 4 hours.
Sleep, my darling, sleep!

Installment 34 Meg

Installment #34

Meg

Meg awoke well before dawn. She stretched in the dark
and began to organize her thoughts. She did not need to turn
on the computer this morning because it was not here. This
was a first in a long time. No reason to hurry into the office.
No eBay, no redranger, no computer. Then she remembered
the other thing that was lurking in the corner of her mind; she
was not alone in the house. Ambrose was downstairs guarding
the front door or something. Or maybe while she slept
someone had come and relieved Ambrose and someone else
would be down there. Well, she was up here in her bed and she
was not ready to go down and face whatever this day would
bring. What day was it?

Let’s see. Denver was Thursday. Friday had been a
recover and feel sorry for herself because she had been stood up
day, and then Saturday brought the detectives and the news that
the man she had contemplated having sex with was married.
Hell, not only married, but missing. The redranger was Jeffery
Eldon Purcell. She pulled the covers over her head as she
realized that today was Sunday. Sunday meant church. But Jack
had told her she had to stay in the house. Well, that was not
going to happen. Somebody had to move the eggs into the
cooler. Somebody had to check the feeders. And today was
Sunday and Sunday and church were part of her routine. Well,
Ambrose better be ready to go to church and gather eggs. She
pushed the covers down and turned and put her feet over the
side of the bed. A quick look at the clock told her it was almost
5:30. The sun would be peeking over the horizon very soon.
Guiltily she remembered that she had not spoken to
Kevin since the first part of the week. She reached for the phone
in the charger by the bed. It was not there. Strange. In all the
activity yesterday she must have left it downstairs. Anyway it
was 4:30 in California and it was Sunday and Kevin liked to
sleep in on the weekend. Well, not that late, but sure not 4:30.
Nobody got up at that time of day. Well, she did, but she had no
life. It was pretty early to go downstairs, but surely Ambrose
was awake and would want coffee. He was guarding her so he
should be awake. She took her robe off the end of the bed and
pulled it on. As she pulled it around her shoulders, she hugged
herself. Tommy had bought this for her and it was very
practical for Colorado mornings, although not a bit sexy. She
stroked the fabric which reminded her of a satin rabbit she had
as a pet when she was very young. Wonder what this fabric is,
other than polyester? Such a general term.

Sliding her feet into her slippers, she ran her fingers
through her hair. She belted the robe and walked across the floor
to the crates. As she opened the door on Daisy’s crate, Daisy
stirred and came out, waiting to have her ears scratched. Elvira
was slower, but the same ritual as Daisy. They waited for their
“getting up treat”. If they had one for going to bed, they also
needed one for getting up. Nothing spoiled about these dogs.
They bounded down the stairs , made a left turn , and
were out the doggie door. Meg made a right turn and walked
into a brightly lit kitchen. But where was Ambrose? Must be in
the bathroom, or maybe asleep on the couch. She glanced
around the kitchen and did not see her cell phone. This charger
was also empty. Where was that phone? Then she saw the note
on the counter. She picked it up and read the few words. “ Meg
Parker. I have been called back to Denver. Everything here is
alright.”
That was strange. He should have woke her up and told
her he was leaving. How was he leaving? He had no car.
Someone must have came and got him. Yes, that was it. Well,
that made two inconsiderate oafs! And the dogs. Why had they
not barked? They barked at every leaf that blew across the yard
and every fox that came within a mile of the place, but men
walking around in the kitchen was nothing to be alarmed about.
She poured the water through the Bunn that she had set
up the night before in case Ambrose wanted coffee. As she took
her favorite cup off the cup rack, she glanced idly towards the
back of the house. Those dogs were sure taking their sweet time
this morning. On cue, she heard scratching at the doggie door.
Scratching? All they had to do was come inside. Nothing to
stop them. She walked through the dining room to the sun
porch. The inside door to the doggie door was firmly in place!
How in the hell had that happened? It was kept beside the
doggie door. As she stared in disbelief she felt a strong arm
around her shoulders and soft cloth on her face. What was that
odor? As her whole body slumped against the warmth of what
she knew not, Tommy’s face rose before her.

Installment #33 Fred

Installment #33

Fred

Fred threw the last piece of wood he chopped onto the
pile he had been working on for the past hour. Not much sense in
piling it up like he had done back home. Just going to burn it
anyway. He sat on the stump and reflected back over the
incident with the Jeep with the scary looking guy in it. The guy
had to be watching Meg. But the important part of the whole
thing was how long had the big guy been watching her? And
why? Or was he just setting there? Things began to click inside
his mind. The tunnel. What was that about? Why would anyone
want a tunnel to a tree? Well, when he found the little nesting
part of the tree and the telescope and how this zeroed right in on
the Parker place things began to click. The Jeep on the road was
a big click. Stumbling on him spying on Meg was the clincher.
He had read books. He watched the news. He knew this man
was a stalker! He was a stalker and he was stalking Meg Parker.
But wait! Stalkers usually had a reason. What did this man want
from Meg?

As Fred entered his small cabin and placed his gun and
machete on the shelf his head began to hurt. He was not used to
all this thinking. His life was very simple and required no
planning or decision making and he did not like this at all. He
resented the big scar faced man for doing this to him. Something
was going on and he knew it, but did not know what to do about
it. As he lay on his small cot fully clothed, he tried to sort it out,
but he could not. Finally a blissful oblivion flew him away to his
boyhood home and a mother and father who loved him, but not
each other.

Installment #32 Marshall Purcell

Installment #32

Marshall Purcell

He watched from high in the tree as the men knocked on
her door. At first he thought they were visitors, but soon he could
see they were not. And his telescope sure brought that badge
right into focus. Cops. What were they doing with her? What
had she done?
Oh, hell. It was about Jeffery. Jeffery was the redranger.
By now his little wife would surely be worried and looking for
him. That was her meal ticket after all. Of course no one had
seen him in Denver and he was supposed to be working there. So
it was only natural to call and report him missing. Must be a
pretty important guy for them to get right on it like that.

“Oh, yes officers here is his computer. Why no he would
never fool around on me. Look at this, I ask you , would you
leave this home in bed and chase some little trollop around?
Meg? Meg who? Jeffery never knew any Meg. Why she must
be one of the workers on that silly football thing he was hired to
consult about. Well, I do not care about all that silliness! Jeffery
was devoted to me, now just go find him. I don’t need to read
that trash!”

He knew when they went into the house that they were
headed for the computer. Well, they would find no trace of him
there. Nor anywhere in her house. He was too good for that. He
was like a ghost. He could walk in and out and no one ever
would have seen him. Like last night. Oh glory! He smiled at
the memory of last night. The moon was starting to wane so he
had made his way down the mountain. Across her back yard to
her kitchen window. He could see her setting at the table
working a crossword puzzle. He knew she would stay there until
it was finished and he knew the dogs would stay with her. The
radio was playing some old country station. He could hear it
clear out here.

He moved swiftly to the side patio and pulled his special
grappling hooks out of his back pack. Fitting them carefully
into notches he had made several months ago he pulled himself
to the patio roof. Reaching out he caught the railing of the
upstairs patio and swung himself onto the floor. Not a sound. A
ghost. He took the slender piece of steel from his pocket and
jimmied the door. He moved quickly to the bathroom and found
what he was after hanging behind the door. His rough hands
removed the silky nightgown from the hook and he buried his
face in the folds and breathed deeply. Oh, the bliss of her
womanly scent. Not really perfume but a smell that wrenched at
his heart. He shoved the gown into the plastic bag he had
brought for that very purpose. He did not want her smell mixed
with any other smell. This was his euphoria!

He slid the patio curtain to one side and then the other one
the same; just an inch or so. He exited onto the patio, locking the
door behind himself. He slid the garden bench forward just
enough so he could fit behind it if need be. And then he set down
to wait. Soon he was rewarded as he saw the kitchen light go out
and the hall light upstairs shine brightly. The dogs ran into the
bedroom first and sat by their crates to wait. Meg went into the
bathroom to prepare for bed and very soon emerged with a
puzzled look on her face. She lifted the pillow and then opened
the drawer and drew out another nightgown. Glancing once more
at the bed she returned to the bathroom. Soon she came back out
wearing the peach nightgown that he loved so well. It struck her
at mid calf and clung to her as she moved. She gave the dogs
their treats and closed their doors. She flipped on her bedside
light and piled pillows for her back. As she settled in her bed she
picked up her book from the bedside table. But her eyes strayed
to the patio doors.
She noticed the curtains were open, but did not seem
concerned. Did she know he was there? She seemed to be
looking right at him. He stared back at her. Then she stretched
her leg and raised her arms above her head. She was tempting
him! She knew he was there and she was wanting him to come
inside. Well, he wasn’t ready for that just yet! Oh, she would
beg him some day and when that day came, he knew he would
not be able to resist her feminine wiles. First she must stop
behaving like a slut. All that stretching and showing her breasts
outlined by the sensuous peach colored gown. Theirs must be a
union of purity. She must keep her green eyes open. He must be
able to see the green or were they blue? They must not be black.
No! No black eyes would he look into again, ever!
He watched as she drew her knees up and closely eyed her
toe nails. They were not polished. He was glad to see that. But with her setting there
like that he noticed her legs gaping apart. He thought he could
see, what? What? It did not look like she was wearing under
wear! By God she wasn’t! Why that Jezebel was naked under
that night gown! She was naked and him not 20 feet away! But
he would forgive her this once. She did not know he was there,
but he knew she was there. As he watched, she reached up and
turned out the lamp, the book forgotten at her side. She was
going to sleep. As he looked at the dark window he gently pulled
the night gown from the bag and pressed it to his face. They were
going to sleep now. As his eyes grew heavy he felt a small fire
flicker in his loins. They were one.

Hours later when he awoke with a stiff neck, he put the
night gown back into the bag and slowly and quietly climbed
down the same way he had climbed up. And like the ghost that
he was he silently crept across the field and up the mountain,
unseen by anyone or anything, except a shadow on the edge of
the clearing.

Installment 31 Meg, Jack, Ambrose

Installment #31

Meg, Jack, and Ambrose

Meg gazed at the two men on her doorstep. Detective
Jack Farley and Detective Ambose Middleton. She felt a
feeling of being disconnected from her own body. Yes, she had
seen the news. No, she did not know a Jeffery Purcell. And
what did any of this have to do with her? Well, yes she did
know a redranger from the Internet. No she had never met him.
Yes she was supposed to meet him in Denver at the Sheraton on
Thursday, but he had not shown up. No, she had heard nothing
since then. And the final blow when Jack Farley explained how
Jeffery Eldon Purcell had flown out of Brattleboro, Vermont
and flown into Denver. He had disembarked at Stapleton and
his wife had heard nothing from him since he left Vermont.

“Were you aware that he had a wife and children?”
“Of course not, Mr. Farley! What kind of woman do you
take me to be?”
“Well certainly not one that picks men up on the
Internet!” He remarked sarcastically and Meg blushed. He was
right about that!
“We are going to need to take a good look at your hard
drive. Going to have to take it in and that may take some time.
Is that a problem?” This Jack Farley was getting on her last
nerve.
“Oh it most definitely is a problem. I run my eBay
business through the computer. I keep all my records on the
computer. I communicate through my computer. I just can’t
let you take that!” She crossed her arms across her chest and
then quickly remembered that was a defensive gesture. She
dropped her hands to her sides and then felt vulnerable. She
placed a hand on each hip and glared at Jack Farley. “I have
done nothing wrong here! What earthly good would my
computer be to you? I told you about our emails.” Jack
Farley thought for a moment.

“Alright I can probably do this here and get what I
need.” He turned to his partner. “Ambrose, I am going to
need about five or six hours. You want to hang out here or go
kill time somewhere? I could actually use the help if you
don‘t mind.” Ambrose nodded his assent. Jack turned to Meg
and extended his arm indicating that she should lead the way.
She opened the door and stepped inside. The men followed.
Jack was experienced at what he was doing and very
quickly had the computer booted and running and was in her
email account, but in an area she did not know existed. He
scrolled slowly through her correspondence with redranger,
pausing now and then and making a notation. Then he turned to
her and asked, “Why do you read his emails and then rather then
just leave them, mark them as new and then come back later and
answer them? That seems kind of strange.” He waited.

“ I don’t. I open them, answer them and then they go
to old mail. Why would I want to save them as new?”
“You are the only one that uses this computer, right?”
“Yes, my son was here, but he didn’t even come in here.”
“Well either you are doing that or you have a very savvy
hacker. Come here.” He pointed to a blip on the screen. “See
that? That is open, then keep as new. And here. Another one.”
He continued to point them out as she stared in amazement.
“No one is ever in here but me!”
“Oh, he does not have to be in here. He can be miles
away. If you did not do this then someone is operating your
computer from their computer. No problem at all for someone
who knows what he is doing. Probably paid you a visit at some
point and left behind what he needed to make this work. Had any company
lately besides your son? I am assuming he would not do this?”

He looked at Meg and waited for a reaction. He got it as she
suddenly remembered the bar of Irish Spring in her shower when
she returned from California.

“Yes,” she said very slowly, “Yes, but I do not know
who it was.” She then explained to him about that experience,
about the bars now on the windows, the doggie door alteration
and who had done the work.

“This Fred guy, how well do you know him? Good with
electronics? I mean computers and such?”

Meg laughed. “Oh, no! Fred is not good at anything
except manual labor. He lives up the hill and is the area
handyman. I don’t think he knows that computers even
exist. Other than that I can‘t think of anyone who has been here.”
“Neighbors? Any of them ever stop by?”
“No. I only ran into the man up North once in the past
I don’t know how many years. He is only up there some time.
I think. Guess I really don’t know.”

“Got any fellas hanging around who might be a little
jealous? I noticed the only emails that were messed with were
the ones from redranger, Jeffery Purcell. So he is not after your
money, or your accounts, he just wants to keep tabs on your
extracurricular stuff basically. And he knew you planned on
meeting Jeffery on Thursday. See anyone you knew in the
Sheraton that day?”

Meg stared in disbelief. What was this guy after? But
sadly it all made perfect sense. Someone was in her home and
now was in her computer and was in her life and in her head.
How could she type another word and feel safe? She couldn’t.
But who would be doing this? No one paid any attention to her
movements. Well not that she knew about anyway.
“No, not a soul.”
“Anybody follow you home? Anybody here when you got
here? Anything messed with?”
“No. No. I just cannot think of anyone at all who is even
remotely interested in me for any reason.” She dropped her head
in her hands and began to cry softly. “Oh, Tommy,” she thought
to herself, “What is this all about? God I wish you were here.”

Jack Farley patted Meg awkwardly on her shoulder.
“Listen, Meg, uh, may I call you Meg?” She nodded her assent
and he continued. “I can’t do it. I am not smart enough, but
there are guys at the station who can dig in this thing and come
up with who ever is messing with your account. I got a feeling
that he messed with Jeffery Purcell too. That guy didn’t just fall
off the face of the earth. And I think we need to know this now,
because I think you are in danger. So can I take your hard drive?
Or is eBay more important? Not to put any pressure, but I can get
a warrant if I need to go that route.”

Meg knew what had to happen as well as Jack Farley.
“Oh, well, go ahead. Let me just put the store on vacation and
that will take care of eBay.” She sat down in front of the machine
she now was afraid of and entered a few things and then stepped
away. “Done.”

“Thanks, now I would like to get someone up here to keep
an eye on you until we get some answers. Whoever this is knows
where you live and he knows your routine. Now why would a
complete stranger go to all this work if he weren’t after
something. I think it is you he is after.”
Meg sighed and agreed with him. Something was going
on and she had no idea what it was, but she did know she was
afraid for the first time in her life. The bars on the windows were
not enough to keep the intruder out of her computer, so how
could they keep anyone that determined out of her home? She
was sure of one other thing, if Kevin found out about this he
would force her to come to California.

“ I will make up the guest room for whoever is coming.”

“No, he is not coming here to sleep. He is coming here
to take care of you. Ambrose will stay until his replacement gets
here. Probably tomorrow.” He placed the hard drive in the car
and then crawled into the drivers’ side. “Even with someone
here you need to stay inside and stay alert. I am afraid this guy
is serious and I just wish I knew what he was serious about.” He
put the car in drive and pulled out the circle drive.
Meg gave a wave and turned to Ambrose, “Well, buddy,
looks like it is just you and me.”
They walked back into the house and Ambrose checked
that all the doors and windows were secure before he pulled a
chair from the table and sat down to watch, who knew what.

Installment #30 Him

Installment #30

Him

Marshall Purcell swirled his drink as he crossed the
room to his recliner. He picked up the remote and switched the
television to Channel 9 news. He sat the drink on the table
beside his chair and went into the bathroom, pulling his tie
loose as he walked. He hung the tie over the chair and as he
removed his clothing, he hung each item on it’s own hanger.
When he was almost completely nude, he hung the hangers on
the hook on the back of the door. The tie was the last item to be
placed there and it went around the collar of his shirt. Just like
it belonged.

He stood in just his boxer shorts in front of the full length
mirror. Slowly he lowered the underwear to the floor and
stepped out of it. He gazed at himself in the reflection. He was
not a bad looking man, other than the scar on his face. His body
was lean and hard. He turned sideways. Well, a little paunch,
maybe. Ok, a definite paunch. And maybe lean and hard was not
the way to describe his body. He had an office job, for crying out
loud. How was he supposed to build muscles setting at a desk all
day long? Surely Meg could overlook a little thing like that. He
thought of Meg and how she looked jogging in her shorts. She
had long legs and moved with a grace few women possessed.
His eyes went to his manhood. It hung helplessly down
and showed no signs of life. That was better. Damn thing better
remember who was boss around here. He pictured Meg setting
on her patio with the dogs at her feet reading a book. He had
been in her home and he knew the kind of books she read.
Historical novels. Romances. His mother had read True
Confessions and Modern Romance. He thought of his mother
laying on the couch reading her magazines, her legs extended;
one over the back of the couch and the other foot resting on the
arm at the end of the couch. He’d seen his mother turn her full
gaze on him. She had dark sultry eyes. Meg’s were blue.

Mother’s skin was very white. Meg’s was tanned from the sun.
Mother’s hair was black. Meg’s was light brown.
Mother smiled at him and laid her magazine down.
“Come here, Marshall. Rub Mother’s shoulders. I am so tight
there.” She sat up and turned her back to him. He swallowed a
lump in his throat and reached for shoulders. He began to knead
the muscles that attached to her neck.
“Yes, mother, you are tight. I can feel it.” She
unbuttoned her shirt and pushed her blouse back so he could
work her muscles on her lower neck. Marshall stared at her
smooth back. His fingers worked the muscles and he could feel
her loosen under his touch. She turned and looked sideways at
him as she fluttered her long eyelashes.

“You are such a good son, Marshall. I love you so
much. Do you remember when you came in the kitchen and
the neighbor man was here?” Marshall could only nod his
head yes. The lump in his throat threatened to choke him.
“Do you know what we were doing?” This time he nodded
no. “Would you like Mother to show you?”

It took everything in Marshall Purcell’s being to slam the
door shut on that memory! That was a door that must never be
opened. That was the one memory he must never let out again.
He did not need to look down to know what was going on down
below. He grabbed his pajama’s and quickly covered himself.
Then he went to his recliner and sat down and grabbed his drink.
He drained the glass quickly and then pushed himself to the
reclining position and closed his eyes tightly. He pictured Meg
Parker jogging. He pictured her alone in the Sheraton. He willed
himself to look at her body. Her naked body! She could save
him! She must save him from his mother. That had been so
wrong. So very evil. He had hated his mother after that day
more then ever before. He had hated her, but he had gone back
again and again. Like an addict. But now, it was just him and
Meg.

Meg would make him forget. Meg was his salvation. He
forced himself to picture Meg as he reached inside his pajama’s
and brought out the object that had offended him so many times.
If he could get through the next few moments with Meg in his
vision and not see mother, he would not need to castrate himself.
So he gritted his teeth and pictured only Meg. He pictured her
naked and spread before him and he licked his lips as he found
his release in Meg Parker.

Installlment #25 Him

Installment #25
Him

Marshall Purcell steered the Jeep Cherokee back onto the
dirt road that would take him back to the Interstate. He had almost weakened but then he
remembered the Jeffery of long ago; the one his mother had loved
instead of him. They were twins, for God’s sake! Why couldn’t
she have loved him just a little bit? It had been downhill ever
since the day he had caught her in the kitchen with the neighbor
man’s dick buried in her. He had tried to tell Jeffery, but he had
told her what he had seen and she had hated him even more.

They may have been born on the same day at the same time, but they were nothing
alike in her eyes. And Jeffery had used it all to his advantage to
get what he wanted. And he was still the same selfish lying little bastard today as he was then. Dad
had seen through him, but even the old man had never had guts
enough to stand up to Mother. So Marshall sucked the hind tit.

Jeffery had been all for the slight detour to check out the
old mine shaft. He was getting paid the same whether he worked
or not so a little time on the side was no big deal. John had not
cared enough to have a car at the airport, so what the hell! It was
a nice drive up the mountain and Jeffery began to relax with
Marshall.

“Well, right after we left Oklahoma I met a great woman
in Brattleboro. Smart, and sexy as hell. Yeah got myself a son
right out of the gate and then twin girls. Judy is a wonderful
mother and life is great, but she is kind of busy so sometimes I
have to take little side trips, know what I mean?” He winked and
laughed. Marshall Purcell looked sideways at redranger and
knew exactly what he meant. And he knew this side trip would
be ending up with Meg Parker bagged and bedded before he
went back East. Well, it would be over his dead body. Well, not
so much his dead body, but there would be a dead body
involved, that was for sure.

They had walked up the short incline to the mouth of the
mine. Jeffery had always been fascinated with things like this.
It was no different now.
“How did you find this place?” “ How far down does
the shaft go?” “We won’t fall in will we? “ Does it have a
barrier? “ And he stayed right behind Marshall.

As they entered the mouth of mine and Marshall
explained, “ I found this quite by accident about a year ago. It
used to have a big fence around it, but it has kind of fallen
down over the years. We will be all right as long as we watch
where we are going. Here, I brought a flashlight.” He
switched it on and handed it to Jeffery.
“You carry it and go ahead. I am right behind you.”

They entered the cavern and Jeffery flashed the light from
side to side and top to bottom, like a little kid. As they went
deeper into the abyss Marshall remembered his
first trip up here and a 17 year old kid named something that he
had picked up on the highway hitchhiking somewhere. That was
all innocent enough until the kid had reached over and put his
hand on his crotch and smiled at him with a mouthful of rotten
teeth.
His response had been instant and deadly. In three
seconds it was over and the kid lay against the door with his neck
broken and his eyes staring vacantly at nothing in particular.
Marshall panicked and dragged the kid out the door and
threw him over his shoulder. He started up the mountain seeking
somewhere to stick the body. The cavern yawned before him and
he entered the opening. He dropped the kid on the ground and
went back to get a flashlight. Soon all was revealed to him and
he had rolled the body over the edge and listened as it bounced
off the wall and then a dull thud as it struck the floor of the mine
and then dead silence.

His mind jerked back to the present as he watched Jeffery
near the shaft.
"OK, Jeff, it is right ahead of you. Get down on
your hands and knees and crawl forward about four feet. Then
you can kind of lean over the side and see all the way to the
bottom. It is straight down, so be careful. Here let me hold your
feet to make sure you don’t slip.”

He sat down and took a foot in
each hand realizing as he did so that they were genuine leather
shoes and no doubt very expensive. “So can you see the bottom?
I got you bro’, don’t worry.”

He felt Jeff strain a little and then heard him say, “My
God! There are bones down there! They look like a human!
Ah shit! There are more than one!” But that was pretty much
the end of that one sided conversation as Marshall Purcell
shoved the feet of his twin brother , Jeffery Purcell over the
side of the mine shaft, leather shoes and all. A brief gasp, a
split second and he hit the wall and then another and he heard
the dull thud as he hit the floor. Marshall stood and dusted off
the knees of his pants. Then he cursed softly as he realized he
would have to buy another flashlight, turned and walked out
into the bright sunlight and headed down the hill to the Jeep.

Installment #24

Installment #24

Him And Eldon

He pulled the Black Jeep into the short term parking at
Stapleton and pulled his ticket from the little box that spit them
out so faithfully. He put it in his pocket and pulled into a
vacant space near the end of the third row. That was luck! It
was going to be his day; Karma dictated it. He strolled through
the door with 15 minutes to spare before the plane landed. He
looked at the bank of greeters holding their signs with names
printed. John, Mary Smith, Eldon. That was the one. He took
a deep breathe and hurried toward the blonde haired fellow in
very casual dress. Name tag. Great!

“Jerry?” He looked the guy right in the eye. “You
waiting for Eldon?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, John sent me to do the waiting. Said he needs
you back at the office, post haste. Some kind of problem. Said
tell you to hurry.”
“What’s going on? He told me this was important.! Said
I had to meet this guy and get him there safe and sound. Why
didn’t he call me?”
“Look, I don’t know. He said he tried to call but got a
busy signal, so he said I should get over here and send you
back. What! You think I just happened in here, saw you with a
sign and decided I wanted to pick up Eldon? Do I look nuts?”
Jerry laughed. “Well, when you put it that way……”
He started for the exit. He stopped him.
“Hey, buddy, leave me the sign or we are going to miss
the connection here!” Jerry handed him the sign and walked
away shaking his head.

So now he stood with the “Eldon” sign hoisted high
as the passengers began to stream down the runway.
He spotted the man and recognized the walk. Tall, lanky
guy with a shock of brown hair and steely blue eyes. How long
had it been? Oklahoma. Jeffery. Jeffery Eldon Purcell. He
shuddered as he made the connection between Jeffery Eldon
Purcell and the redranger and Meg Parker. And he cringed as he
lowered the sign and prayed Jeffery had not seen it. Finally he
realized that a prayer of his had been answered as Jeffery
scanned the signs looking for his name. He did not see his name,
but he did see the face of his brother, Marshall Purcell. Their
eyes met and they both realized that this was a chance meeting in
a very unexpected place that neither of them could have
foreseen. Jeffery appeared bewildered.

“Marshall? What are you doing here? Did John send you? Are you meeting me?”
“Jeff! Lord no, I just happened to be killing some time
waiting for a friend to get in from California. What are you
doing here?”
“I have a consulting job here for a company in Denver.
Someone was supposed to meet me, but it looks like I may be
stood up. How long have you got? Can we grab a cup of
coffee and catch up a little?”
“Hang on a sec. I may be stood up myself. Let me
make a call.” He turned away and punched a few numbers in
the phone and then waited.
“Oh, Jane this is Marshall. Are you behind schedule?”
He nodded as he listened to nothing and then said, “Oh, no that
is fine. Something unexpected has come up here on my end. I
will just see you at the apartment this evening…Yeah, honey,
you too.” He closed the phone and turned to face Jeff who had
apparently been listening very closely.
“Wow! Who is Jane? Sounds serious. Are you married?
Living together?”
Jeffery was a multitude of questions. And
Marshall was an enigma with no ready answers. He looked at
his twin brother with a blank look and a mind that was a blur.
He had come to the airport to meet a man named redranger with
the full intent of killing him, but here he stood in the hubbub of
Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado face to face
with his twin brother that he had not seen nor communicated
with in years. Had this been a faceless stranger, it would have
been easy to bull shit his way through, but here was the face he
had grown up with, the face that still looked at him in the
bathroom mirror every morning and many times a day. But a
plan was a plan, wasn’t it?

“Well, Marshall, where are you staying? What are your
plans?” He paused, like he didn’t know what was planned.
“I have some work to do for Higgenboth Architects here
in Denver and that will keep me busy until noon tomorrow and
then I am meeting someone I have been communicating with
online. An old army buddy. Haven’t seen him in years.”

Marshall sighed. Damn liar did not realize that he had
just sealed his fate. No reason to change any plans because this
was his brother. This was the same little worthless piece of shit
that had made his life so miserable when they were still at
home. Telling mom every time he looked cross ways. Really
had the old man eating out of his hand and he had gotten his
hind end beaten more than once by Jeffery’s lies. And he had
tried to tell Jeffery about mom and the dip wad up the street
and Jeffery had just looked at him and went to mom. Another
ass beating. No, Jeffery was no different now and that was too
bad. It would have been kind of nice to have a little family, but
it sure was not this idiot. Brothers should not lie to brothers.
Suddenly Jeffery turned to Marshall. He stared in
wonder. “Your eye! What is that? Did you get an eye? I
thought you just wore that patch. When did you get this? Is it
real?” He actually had noticed something besides himself.
That was a wonder!
“It is glass. Well, not exactly glass, some sort of
artificial combination that looks like a real eye. Doesn’t work ,
but it is set in there so it actually moves a little and at first
glance it looks pretty real. I had this done about four years
ago. Still have the scar, but it isn‘t as pronounced or maybe I
have just learned to live with it. Anyway, it was good of you to
notice the eye.” Marshall stopped and then asked, “How is the
old man?“
Jeffery shuffled his feet then looked at Marshall. “I
don’t know. After you left and mom died he married a real
loser. We moved to Vermont and it was clear that Virginia did
not want me around so I got my own place and they traveled a
lot and we just drifted apart. I assume they are both still
around and still alive cause I have not heard any different.”
“I thought you and him were tight?”

Jeffery laughed in derision. “No way. I watched how he
treated mom all those years and it was all I could do to stomach
being around him. He did not respect her at all. Treated her like
a doormat. All she ever wanted out of him was a little attention
and that was the one thing he was incapable of giving her. Too
damn busy with his work! Hell, when she was dying he didn‘t
even hire any help. Took care of her himself, that is how tight he
was.” Marshall wondered at Jeffery’s devotion to their mother,
but then remembered that mother had always fawned over Jeff,
so that explained that. Really not much sense trying to tell him
any different.
“So, Jeff, want me to give you a lift into Denver? I am
headed that way anyway.”
Little did Jeffery Eldon Purcell realize that this might be the last
decision he was ever to make on this earth.
“Sure! Beats hell out of walking.” They smiled as they
started for the exit at Stapleton International Airport, but for
totally different reasons. Marshall put his arm around the
shoulder of his brother who was seven minutes younger than
him and gave him a playful hug.
“Well, I bet you like to think so anyway!” They laughed.

#23

Installment #23

Meg

Meg did not turn her computer on Monday after her trip
up the mountain, so it was Tuesday morning when she read the
email from Eldon. She answered right away and soon the plans
were made and everything was in place. Eldon would arrive
Wednesday right after lunch. The driver would pick him up and
he would be busy with John until late, late that night and until
noon on Thursday. Then he was free until Monday. Business
she knew nothing about. She would meet him in the lobby of
the Sheraton at 12:30 and they would have lunch somewhere
and then just sight see until later when they would decide what
to do next. Sounded like a loosely woven plan they could both
live with. She realized that she was actually almost giddy at the
thought of meeting a man. And having lunch and then deciding
what to do next. That was the part that rather made her feel
warm and anxious. But Thursday was two days away. Lot
could happen in two days.

But she hummed as she did her chores that day. Then
she remembered the dogs rather guiltily. She phoned the friend
who watched them before. She explained that she was not sure
how long she would be gone. Maybe not even one night, but
maybe more. He laughed. Yes, he was available and yes, he
was flexible. Yes he would come Thursday afternoon and
evening and continue his chores until she told him he was done.
That taken care of she began to rifle the closet for
clothes for her trip into Denver. She realized she had nothing
sexy, but she did not want anything sexy. Nothing old maidy
either. She finally settled on a pair of black tailored slacks and a
red long sleeved clingy shirt with a high vee neckline. Little
black pumps. Then she realized that those were too dark for
summer. But it was not really summer and Denver is high and
cool so she thought it best not to obsess. And as she climbed
into her bed that night she found herself wishing that Thursday
would hurry up and get here! Sweet dreams found her that
evening and a tall stranger stood in the mist as she ran toward
him.

Installment # 22 Him

Installment #22
Him

He stood with his back to the closed door and felt the
sweat pour down from his head and arm pits. He was not ready
for this! Why had she come up here? Why was she in his yard?
This was his home and she had found him. She appeared so
innocent, but he knew better! Never knew this house was here?
Who was she trying to fool? This house had been here for years.
Years! She was snooping around and he had caught her. Did she
know about his tunnel? Did she know about his tree? Did she
know he watched her? Maybe she was watching him watching
her! Women! Nothing but treacherous bitches, every one of
them. Even that stupid Jennifer. Always making coffee and
tidying things. Damn feather duster. What was it with the
cleaning all the time? Her job was to run the office, not get in his
way.

He peered out the window and could not see any sign of
the woman. She must be gone. She had to be gone. Of course
she was gone. She was probably down there right now on her
farm gathering her eggs. Damn chickens never stopped, did
they? Course not, they were females. Females never stop what
ever they start doing. They would keep laying eggs and Meg
Parker would keep gathering them. Jennifer would keep dusting
and putting her pointed little nose into his business. Maybe he
should do something about her before he did something with
Meg Parker. When he made his move on Meg it would take time
away from the office. Jennifer would be suspicious. She might
come up here. No, she did not know where he lived. She knew
about his apartment in Denver. She knew about the apartment
on Williams, but not about the cabin here in the mountains. She
knew he went somewhere out of town, but not where. Nosey
bitch could probably figure it out. Get with the accountant and
see where he paid taxes. He shook his head violently. This was
sheer paranoia and he had more important things to concern
himself with right now!

It was now next week and redranger was on the horizon
and headed toward Denver, ready to rendevous with Meg. He
had to figure out how to stop that from happening. Get his
ducks in a row. First, check her email and see what the plan
was. It took so long for the computer to boot up that he
decided to make an exception and have a drink in the middle of
the day. A splash of soda and a splash of Scotch. Well, two
splashes of Scotch. That was better. He settled at the
computer; pulled up her yahoo account. It had been rather
quiet the last few days. No sales at all. A few feedbacks and
finally he saw the redranger. “meg. I will be leaving
Brattleboro, Vermont on Wednesday morning and arriving at
Stapleton early afternoon. John is having a car meet me so I
am good for Wednesday until Thursday. I would like to meet
with you on Thursday and we can spend the whole day
together. I am at the Sheraton and they have a lovely dining
room there. Let me know and we will firm all this up on
Tuesday.”

He hit the “print” button and then the “keep as new
button” It was one thing to hack into her account but she was a
smart woman. Smart and alert. She would connect the dots and
know something was wrong if he started leaving things laying
around or not laying around. Nothing else that was of any
interest to him. But he left the screen up in case she showed any
action. He put a CD in the player and kicked back in his
recliner.

His mind toyed with what to do with the redranger.
Eldon. That was a silly name. He wondered if it was his real
name. Somehow he doubted that it was. He had been around
and he knew what this online stuff was. Guy probably didn’t
even have a job. Just coming to Denver to play around and Meg
was his target. A little weasel that hid in the shadows and played
pretend games because he was afraid of reality. Acted like
something he was not. He would do God only knows what to
Meg and then go back to where ever he came from and never
even think about her again. Well, not while there was life in his
body! No siree! He would save her. He would protect her. A
shimmer of an idea began to form in his mind. Yes, he knew
what to do. Eldon would arrive in Denver on Wednesday.
Today was Monday. He would be ready. Of course he would be
ready. Wasn’t that what he had learned in Viet Nam, to always
be ready? He smiled as he drained his glass and the hot liquor
found the warm place right beside his heart. The heart that
suddenly longed for Meg Parker. He sighed sadly thinking of all
the things he had done and would continue to do for her. He was
sad that she could never know the real depth of his commitment
to her. It would frighten her, he knew. His eyelids grew heavy
and he chortled because he knew he was going to sleep right
there in the chair. And fully clothed as he thought of Meg
Parker standing in his yard, he touched himself and blushed at
the pleasure it brought him. Then his mind went blank with
sleep.

Installment #21

Installment #21
Meg

Meg sealed the last box, added the label, stuck a Priority Mail sticker on it and tossed it into her tote. Daisy and Elvira began to dance around as she took her hat from the hook.  She opened the door and started down the drive to the mailbox. The dogs ran ahead sniffing both sides of the road. At the mailbox she opened the big door and put the packages inside. Then she raised the flag to let the driver know that she had a pickup. She turned back towards the house, but then turned to look up the mountain. The dogs looked at her quizzically. She laughed. “All right! Just a short one though.” She crossed Banner Road and entered the field. She skirted the fence that was across the path and started up the hill. The dogs ran ahead as was their habit. Sniff and pee. Sniff and pee. Dogs had such easy lives. Soon they were at the fork in the trail that led to the tree she had discovered on her last trip up the mountain. Without a second thought she turned and headed up the path. Might as well face this demon and put it behind her. She had avoided the mountain when Greg and Kevin were here because of this and now it would be put to rest. As she neared the tree she relaxed. The brush was not beaten down at all. As she looked around she noticed the growth pattern on the big pines was the same as this one. Looked like a ladder. What a silly goose she had been. The path turned slightly to the left so she followed it. About 300 yards and she realized that off to her right was what appeared to be a small cabin. She stopped and studied it. It was a small cabin. There was a worn driveway so she knew it was used by someone. She should go back. This was someone’s home. She was trespassing. Well, not really. She was just walking past a house. The road lay right before her and she knew if she followed the road around to the right it would lead back to Banner Road where she lived. Fred lived up here somewhere, but this looked too neat to be where Fred would live. She scoffed at herself for making judgments’ about Fred. She did not know where he lived and so could not know how he lived. As she debated whether to take the road back down or go back the way she had come, she heard a vehicle coming up Storm Lake Road. She made her mind up very quickly when the Black Jeep Cherokee approached and turned into the little cabin. Curiosity made her look at the vehicle and she strained to catch a glimpse of the driver as she looked back over her shoulder. So intent was she in that endeavor that she did not notice that Elvira had stopped to itch herself. She stepped on the dogs tail and she yelped. She halted the forward momentum of the second leg and tumbled forward into Daisy. Another yelp as the door of the Jeep closed. The big man whirled and stared in her direction. He did not look happy at all. And then he looked very surprised as he started towards her. Meg rose and was dusting herself off when he reached her.

 “Are you all right lady?” He glanced at the dogs who were cowering at her feet. “Did I scare you and your dogs? Why are you up here? This is private property, you know.” He stopped and waited for her to answer. Meg was frozen in place by his cold steely eyes and then she noticed his scar. She had met this man before. Her and Tommy. Long ago.  She took a deep breathe and began her explanation.

 “Well, I am Meg Parker and I live straight south of here. I was just walking on the trail with the dogs ‘cause that is what I do sometimes. I did not even know there was a house here until I stumbled on it today. I usually turn around before I get this far. I was thinking of taking the road back and then I noticed your cabin. And then you came and so I started back and tripped on Elvira….” Her voice trailed off as she stood waiting for what? Absolution? Wrath? She turned to go. “Oh.” And that was all he said. Meg was suddenly aware of his eyes burning into her. She shivered as she suddenly felt very vulnerable. She turned back toward the trail she had come up to get here.

 “It is all right if you walk across my yard.” he said curtly as he turned and walked toward the little cabin without a backward glance. He unlocked the door and quickly disappeared inside. Meg was
left staring at a closed door.  She suddenly just wanted to be home and she hurried back the way she had come. The sun was past it’s zenith when she hurried inside and  the door locked behind her. Home! This was her sanctuary. Her haven. And suddenly she began to sob as she thought of Tommy. Never again would her Tommy hold her. Never would they laugh. As she sank into the overstuffed chair that faced the open window and the mountain she gave vent to the last three years of loneliness and frustration. The dogs stood silently at her feet and stared at the grieving woman.

Installment #20

Installment #20

Kevin and Greg

Kevin merged into the north bound lane of Interstate 25 and quickly set the cruise control on 75 mph. They would catch I 80 West in Cheyenne. It might be a bit out of the way mileage wise, but it would cut almost two hours off the trip.

 “OK, Greg. What is eating you? You been all tied up since yesterday. You might just as well spit it out!”

“Ok, Kevin. Are you buying that crock about your mom building a fortress of her house just cause she is getting old? She is not that old and I am pretty sure she can take care of herself. Something is going on there that she isn’t telling you, and I don’t like it.” He waited for a response and when none came he forged on, “ Why didn’t we walk up the mountain? There are trails up there. I seen them, but she was like a little frightened rabbit when I suggested that. Did you notice?”  He stopped and this time waited for an answer.

“Well, yeah. We used to hike up there a lot. Maybe there are more houses up there now and it is private property. Or it is rattlesnake season when they shed their skin and they are blind and can’t get out of our way. That’s how people get bit by those Timber Rattlers.” He stopped and looked at Greg. He needed more. He sounded like a little kid. “All right! All right! I don’t know what is going on and I am sure there is more than she is telling us, but what can I do? They outlawed the tying up and grilling of mothers a very long time ago. I am sure she will be all right and she will do what needs to be done and if something or someone is threatening her, she will handle it. She is a big girl.”

Greg sighed. “Well, I really like your mom and I hope you are right. I wish she had some closer neighbors. Do you know any of them? Can they check on her?”

"Greg.  Greg.  People move to the mountains to be alone. I know the handyman she uses a little. We always called him ‘that silly old Fred’. He has lived upon  the mountain for years. I think he still has the same old pickup that he had when I was living at home, but maybe not. We always thought he was married and his wife left him and his son moved away, but seems like that was just a rumor. Never been married. Never had a kid. Guess the only rumor that held any water was that his dad had killed his mother and hid her body in the root cellar. I think he is scared of root cellars. Oh, yeah and women. Seems he was an only child. But I don’t know if he even has a phone. Sure he doesn’t do the Internet!”

They fell into a restless silence as they thought about Meg and the miles whipped past. They stopped in Cheyenne for a rest stop before getting on I 80. They bought a cappuccino and a bag of Fritos. When they returned to the car, Greg took the wheel. They enjoyed the scenery and sipped the hot cappuccinos. Meg was never very far from their minds, but they could not think of a way to protect her when they had no idea what to protect her from.

Installment #19 Sunday Morning

Meg quickly made a large blender full of her smoothie recipe, blue berries, yogurt, coconut milk, a fresh peach and wheat germ. She poured it into three glasses, put them on a tray beside the scones and carried them to the patio. The boys were intent on watching the sun creeping up over the horizon.

 “See, Greg. It is not at all like California. Even the colors are different. And see how quick it pops up? Not like California at all.”

 “No, but that is because of the humidity, the colors I mean. Colorado is dry.  So the colors are more muted and more reds and oranges. California has humidity so they appear brighter and there are more greens and blues. Ask anyone. Google it. And it pops up because the mountains are there. California is flat. So it goes down real slow.”

 They turned and looked at Meg as if seeking a final opinion. “Yep” was all she said as she picked up her glass, a scone and settled down in the cushioned chair facing the sunrise.

“This is one of the things that keeps me here on this place, right here at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Heaven on earth. Just ask the chickens.” As if on cue the Rhode Island Red Rooster announced to the world that it was now morning, albeit a bit late. They all laughed. As Kevin set his empty glass back on the tray and dusted the crumbs off his shirt, he turned to Meg with a very serious look on his face.

“Now, mom, you should know how it is with Kevin and I. We have decided to move in together. We have actually found a house we like that is convenient to both of our jobs. When we get back we are going to list his house and I have money from my last home sale, so we are in good shape.”

As an afterthought he added, “ The pub does really well. Especially in this economy.”

Meg digested this little announcement and then smiled. “Well, this is great! I mean really. If one of you were a female, I could throw an engagement party!” She laughed, but the boys did not. “Ok, that is not what I meant to say. What I meant is this, I am very happy for both of you.  I know better than most how hard real love is to come by and I think you two make a great couple. It is a shame that society can not accept, but I think someday they will. Until then, we will just celebrate here at home and I probably will not announce it in church today. Hey!  Let’s just skip church this morning and go into town and celebrate with a lovely lunch!” Church would keep, but Kevin and Greg would not.

They would leave early in the morning and she was selfish. Greg spoke first. “Meg, you will always have a home with us. You are not loosing a son, you are gaining one.” Tears welled up in Meg’s eyes as she silently thanked her God for bringing this kind soul into her son’s life.

Installment #18

Installment #18

Meg, Kevin, Greg

The walk had been a long one. They only jogged a little of the four miles. The conversation was easy and Meg and Greg warmed to each other. The Green Chile was simmering in the crock pot and when they returned to the house the spicy aroma greeted them. They were immediately ravenous. Meg heated the refried beans and the tortillas. She spooned the beans into the tortilla, sprinkled it with grated cheddar cheese, spooned on sour cream and rolled it up.  She ladled a generous amount of the Green Chile over it, put a little chopped lettuce on the plate and handed it to Greg.  She quickly made a plate for Kevin and herself. They sat at the table and looked at the steaming plates.

“OK, Greg, dig in!” Kevin laughed. He had told Greg what Green Chile was and now he was seeing it first hand. Brown the small bits of pork, add garlic, tomatoes, the Pueblo Chiles chopped and then water.  Simmer and the longer it simmered the hotter it would get. Greg had heard about the Pueblo Chiles, but this was his first encounter with the food that was such a part of Kevin’s heritage in Colorado. He dipped his spoon in gingerly and raised it to his mouth. He felt the top of his head bead up with the heat of something he had never encountered before. Tears stung his eyes. He gasped for breathe.
"What in the hell is that!” Meg and Kevin stared in amazement. Never had they seen the likes of this out of quiet retiring Greg.
Kevin stammered.  “Oh, I am sorry.  I told you it would be hot. That is the peppers. Mom?”
“Greg, dear, this is not hot. This is mild. I did not want your first taste of Colorado Mexican food to be a bad one. Here. Do it this way.” She took her spoon and cut off a small piece of burrito and covered it with Green Chile. She put it in her mouth, chewed and smiled. “ You just don’t eat the Green Chile alone. Let me get you a glass of milk. That will help.”
She left the table and returned with a large glass of milk which she placed in front of him. He immediately took a drink of it. Then he smiled at Kevin and Meg.
“ I am not going to let a damn pepper beat me. If you can eat it, I can eat it. “ He then cut off a small piece as Meg had done and shook off most of the Chile. In his mouth and he chewed slowly.  “Hey, that ain’t bad at all. But I gotta say, you two are a couple sadists!”
But very soon he was holding his plate and heading for the stove and a second burrito! Kevin smiled and silently thanked the God above for leading him into Your Little Pub  that rainy day not so very long ago. If ever a match was blessed from above it had to be this one. Meg smiled at her son and nodded. Mother’s just had a way of knowing this stuff. When dessert was brought to the table Kevin whooped and jumped up. 
“Oh, Greg! You are in for a treat. This is the Italian part of Colorado. Tiramusu! Mom! Tell him how to make it.  Oh, God are you in for a treat.”
Meg stared at her son.  “Ok, the first thing you need is Lady Fingers and they are dry. Then you mix coffee with Kahlua. Meanwhile you whip heavy whipping cream with sugar and egg yolks. Then you fold in Marscapone cheese which is a lot like cream cheese only it is from Italy and very expensive. Then you dip the Lady Fingers in the coffee and Kahlua and put them in the bottom of the pan. One layer of that. Then cover this with the whipped cream mixture. Then another layer of Lady Fingers and more whipped cream. Then sprinkle on some cocoa. Stick it in the fridge and then impress everyone for dessert.”
“Oh, yeah,” laughed Kevin, “but you should have seen it the first time she made it. She thought the Lady Fingers were really dry so she held them under until they quit bubbling. She had to mix coffee and Kahlua three times and she used almost a quart of Kahlua! I was 16 and so damn drunk I couldn’t even get up the stairs. Everybody was! We ate the whole thing that night. Way to go Mom!” Greg smiled as he held out his dessert plate for seconds. “Guess you must be part Italian too!”
The boys tidied the kitchen as Meg checked her email Nothing from redranger.  She felt a little disappointed, but knew that he was giving her space to spend time with Kevin. He was very considerate that way.  She had three sales, so she printed the labels for those, affixed them to the boxes, shut down the computer and turned out the light. As she closed the door to the office and stepped into the hall, she found Kevin and Greg sharing a kiss. She stopped and then realized that this did not bother her. She had been afraid that it would, but now that the moment was here it seemed ludicrous that she had even thought about it. She smiled to herself.
“Hey you two! It is bedtime.” The boys jumped apart at her words and laughed nervously. She kissed each one lightly on the cheek and then turned into her own room. There would just be tomorrow and then they would leave. “Church tomorrow. You boys going with me?”
“Well, if you think it is alright.”
“Of course it is!” But as she closed her door she wondered. “At least I hope it is .“ were her last thoughts before she reached for her nightgown.